I know what it feels like not be be fit or strong...

I was a very active, sporty and happy kid and then when I was a teenager I was diagnosed with ME. It was a very difficult time. I was chronically exhausted all time and suffered from horrible body aches and pains. I was too ill to go to school and anything active was totally out of the question. I had always been quite a skinny child but the inactivity meant that I put on a lot of weight and I felt pretty depressed being stuck indoors all the time.

I eventually recovered enough to return to school but for years after I was very weak and got tired easily. I had to go to bed most afternoons and my sporty past was a distant memory. I almost felt like a different person and was depressed. 

A 'break though moment' happened when I had the opportunity to do a charity walk. I was really nervous about it but something inside me told me I had to join in. I was sure that I probably wouldn't get past the first pit stop but I did. I found the strength and determination to push through and finish the whole 26 mile walk. I felt very achy afterwards but great, it gave me a real buzz.

Through my 20's I worked in the media industry in London. I had a great time going out and having fun. Although I was relatively happy I certainly wasn't fit. I was still a bit over weight, I felt sluggish, low on energy, had low confidence and I had developed back problems. I was very different to the active sporty confident person I had once been.

Anyway, one day after yet another trip to the osteopath I took control and decided to join the gym. I wanted to have energy again and feel fit and strong like I had in the past. I knew that the only person who could make this happen was me. ..

As I got fitter and altered what I was eating I felt so much better, so much happier and more confident. Physically my back pain went away and my posture improved. I lost the excess weight and I felt good and had so much more energy.

I came to the realisation that no matter how I felt before exercising - tired, hormonal, depressed, stressed, anxious, hungover, I always felt so much better afterwards. To this day I have never ever regretted exercising!

I have lost count of the number of times that being fit and strong has helped me out and supported me mentally as well as physically at various points in my life. It is for this reason that I want to empower other women so that they can experience the many benefits of regular exercise too.

Since becoming a personal trainer almost 12 years ago I have helped dozens of women achieve their health & fitness goals. They have experienced first-hand the power of exercise and the importance of eating healthily and looking after your body.

You only get one body so you need to look after it!

Tessa Fanshawe

Personal Trainer and Nutrition Advisor

Petersfield, Hampshire